Crimson Sands
by Kukuracha Jack
Summary: Beware the sands of the desert. T for future gore. Formerly 'Shifting Sands'.
1. Prologue

**Shifting Sands**

Late cold season 823 AA (After Apocalypse), 20136 AD

The desert fox waited patiently for the mouse to leave its hole. Hunting was a matter of patience, she knew. The mouse would come out when it felt safe and not before. A quivering nose poked cautiously from the dark hole, before disappearing in a flash. The fox knew she had not been scented; she was downwind. The mouse would check again in a few minutes.

Cold wind blowing from the North carried the scent of stone, and lichen, and a month-old goat horn. The fox was careful not to sniff for more information on the wind. The mouse would hear her, and would decide to stay put for hours more.

A fresh breeze, this time from the Northeast brought a new scent. Hunter-smell. _Two Legger-smell_.

The fox perked her ears. The hunters were coming right towards her. She would have to abandon this mouse in favor of staying alive. Even she could not compete with the smooth-skinned giants.

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The humans raced in silence over the desert sands. Most did so by choice. The rest were bound and gagged, many hoisted on poles and carried by other captives.

The raiders raced single-file. Their heads were wrapped in tattered tan or grey cloth, and goggles covered their eyes. Bodies were wrapped in cloth bindings, over which was worn a long hooded vest, cinched tight, covered with pockets. Their feet were wrapped in bandages, and they wore sandals made from woven plant fibers; the older, wealthier raiders had rubber. Each member carried a staff with a blade at one end and a flat, curved opposite end, for flipping snakes out of the way when running at night (read 'Canyons' by Gary Paulsen).

The warleader was pleased. The raid had yielded many needed supplies, and good food, and untainted water, and metal utensils. Even though they had been forced away from the direct path home, the trackers had set them in the correct direction, and they would be welcomed back in their village soon. This region was full of easy pickings, not like their last home, which they had been forced to leave when a stronger group entered the area.

The lead man suddenly stopped, fist by his ear. Immediately, the entire troop halted, wary eyes scanning the area in the moonlight.

To the right, sand shifted. In silence, the troop formed a circle, captives in the center, blades at the ready. The two closest men stepped forward, one slightly behind the other, the circle closing behind them. That was no animal. An animal would not have moved enough to shift the sand, or would not even be in their vicinity.

On the left, sand shifted. The trooped tensed. Was it an ambush?

In an instant, all the sand lifted into the air like a miniature sandstorm.

The troop had no defense.

Sand tore through clothing.

Then through flesh. The hissing sand drowned out the screams of dying men and women.

Then bone.

Finally, the sand ground the metal blades dull, before settling down to earth.

Not once during the moments of horror did the wind rise.

The captives found themselves lying on the ground, surrounded by blood-soaked sand.

Wide-eyed, the former captives stared at the blackened ground. Then one of the men cautiously crawled to a fallen blade, and began to furtively cut through the ropes binding his wrists. He then freed a second man, and they began working to release the other captives. Then they fled, leaving the packs of food and supplies behind in their haste.

Two days later, the packs of food and supplies were found in the middle of their meager encampment.

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I like Gaara of the Desert. This fic will be post all story arcs.


	2. Fact and Fiction

_There is a legend among the peoples of the desert. The legend of the Crimson Sands._

_It is said that a demon lives in the deep desert. It is said that the sand of the deep desert is crimson with the blood of victims, that the coppery scent of fresh blood permeates the air. It is said that if a man walks into the deep desert, that the demon will bring the sand to life and strip the flesh from the bones._

_Legend say that the demon was once a man, who went insane and became a demon, and was sealed inside a baby who became a demon, and that when he appears in solid form, he takes the shape of a young man in the robes of the village leaders of old, with a large gourd strapped to his back._

_It is said that the gourd is the demon's mother, who turned into sand when she learned her son was a demon, and would protect him from all harm._

_It is said that the demon dyes his hair with the blood of his victims, that the cloth of his traditional robes are stiff with dried blood, that his gourd is built from sand and the blood of his first victims, that his skin is pale as a bloodless corpse, that his eyes never sleep. It is said that his only love is death, that he etched 'love' on his forehead in crimson for this reason._

_It is said that the demon loves only to kill, but it once had a friend. They were enemies once, but the friend was not afraid to die, and he fought the demon to a standstill and so the demon made him his friend. Once when the demon was killed, the friend found someone who could return the soul to body and so saved the demon._

_But the friend had powerful enemies, and the demon could not save the friend, and so the friend died in agony, his very essence being torn from his belly. The demon laid a trap and killed the enemies. _

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**Chapter 1: Fact and Fiction**

Experiment ID 2-47-DD2-J

Date: Sivan 4, 966 AA

RE: Sample from Sector 66B4A "Gulag"

Report: The sand acts on its own. Any flesh inserted into sample container is stripped to pieces by the sand, which then reverts to a pile of lifeless sand.

Analysis: The sand is not in itself sentient. It behaves like an ambush predator; It waits until prey enters its reach, then come sot life to devour said prey. After all organic compounds are stripped and absorbed, the sand ceases all activity.

Notes: The sand will not attack vegetation unless 'starved' for a period of at least two (2) months.

Implications: The sand could be utilized as a weapon in combat.

Issues: The sand cannot be controlled except by large amounts of 'Chakra' type radiation emitters. The amount of this type of energy required for conventional control of the sand requires massive quantities of sacrifice for the emitter batteries.

Conclusion: The sand cannot yet be effectively used in combat.

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General Toranaga glared up at the man standing on the other side of his desk. "What is the meaning of this, doctor? "

"Sir, no excuse sir!" the man snapped back, standing at attention.

"Damn _right_ no excuse! I would imagine that this is safer and less difficult than being on the front lines?" The doctor remained silent. "Find a replacement! You're fired!"

The military doctor saluted, turned on his heel, and strode briskly from the room.

Toranaga growled with frustration. The generals needed to find away around the desert people's natural defenses. A mountainous border to the West halted any large force from moving safely through that side, and the sea to the East had unpredictable tides. Couple that with sharp rocks and tall cliffs, and the only options were from the North and South. The desert peoples were guerrilla fighters, and the sand itself seemed to come to life with men when they attacked, and so the borders were blocked. Land troops that succeeded in passing the borders would disappear in the night. The newly developed war machines were not yet suited for desert environments, would begin to malfunction almost as soon as they rolled in.

The generals believed that the Crimson Sands could be used in the war. Find out just what made the sand come to life and use that as a weapon. But in every case, the research teams failed. This only made the generals more determined to find out just what was going on.

Of the dozens of teams that attempted to gain samples of the red sand, only two reached the deep desert, and only one came back.

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The day of destruction, named the Apocalypse by the faithful had destroyed almost all but the most basic technologies in the world. The human race had gone through a dark age after fire rained from the sky, destroying three quarters of the world's population. Many countries, acting quickly, believed that they were under attack from the neighbors.

And so they launched the bombs.

The treaty of 11229 prohibited conventional nuclear weapons, but countries developed "Deep Impact Low Fallout" bombs that were as powerful as the old bombs, but without the widespread nuclear fallout. DILF bombs removed the risk of nuclear winter, but the sheer number of impacts caused widespread low-level radiation, causing mutations in living organisms. Swaths of land were transformed almost overnight. Desert became jungle and vice versa. The natural coastlines were virtually destroyed, beaches becoming cliffs, cliffs becoming jagged stone at the bottom of the seas.

Travel halted. Trade halted. Progress in every aspect of life was put on hold.

The people who emerged from shelter banded together, forming tribes. Tribal law ruled for six thousand years, when the larger, stronger tribes began to systematically conquer and assimilate their smaller, weaker neighbors. Minor city-states formed, and merged, and became countries again.

An army was born under the new leadership of 'Shachar Edom'(), who promised to reunite the world. They began to take control of the continent.

Until they reached the desert.

The peoples of the desert did not trust the rule of Shachar Edom, and so they fought.

The desert tribes were no longer quite human. Hair had changed to become a tawny mane. Eye pupils were slitted, and ears pointed. Larger lungs with which to breath the dry, cold, thin desert air; longer legs, with which to stride across the sands; nails became clawlike; their bodies healed faster than that of a normal human. (Hmmm…I seem to like the Faded Sun trilogy a lot. Recognize the description?)

They believed that the demon had chosen them to safeguard the desert, and were violently opposed to outsiders entering their land.

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_The people of the desert followed the demon to the coast, and he said to await the coming of the end, and he would keep them alive because he was once one of them._

_The demon said that the Red Dawn wished to rule the world, but when they found that they could not, they wished to destroy it._

_The Red Dawn had collected nine demons that had been caged in mortals to build the Chain, but when they collected the demons, they found that the demons had shared themselves with the mortals, and so the Chain could not be completed because the demon cages had died when the demons were removed and the power within them was then released into the world._

_And so when the fire fell from the skies, the demon shielded his people, and when they were safe, he became one with the sands of the desert so he would always be with them._

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Shachar Edom – Use German 'ch'. Hebrew – lit. 'Dawn that is red', or 'red dawn'

Anyone know just what Akatsuki wants the bijuu for?

Okay, I know some Hebrew, so sue me. Tell me what the old Finnish war cry 'haakaa paalle' means, and I'll mention you in my next chapter when I give the answer. Hint: you can read '1632' by Eric Flint to find the answer.


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